Shakira uses all Steals she has to land Team Adam's Karina Iglesias and Sasha Allen, while Blake Shelton tricks Usher so that he can steal Taylor Beckham from the R 'n' B singer's team.
- Apr 16, 2013
AceShowbiz - The first battle round of "The Voice" season 4 has finally begun. In the latest episode which was aired on Monday, April 15, all contestants gave their very best to impress their coaches and get chosen to advance in the competition. As the result, Shakira had to use both of her Steals while Blake Shelton used one and saved the last one for the next rounds.
The Monday night was opened by Team Adam's Amber Carrington and Sasha Allen. Singing Pink's "Try", the country singer and the R 'n' B singer stunned the judges with their transformations from their roots into pop rock. "I wouldn't like to be in your shoes right now," teased Shakira. Adam Levine eventually crowned Amber as the winner, while Sasha was stolen by the Colombian judge and left Usher "dumbfounded, flabbergasted" for not being chosen.
Garrett Gardner and J'Sun from Team Shakira were the next contestants to battle by singing The Heavy's "How You Like Me Now?". Mentored by Joel Madden, the two artists delivered a brilliant show that made their coach say, "I should never have taken the job in the first place." Both Adam and Blake specially complimented Garrett for his effort to control his growl. Admitting that she had a soft spot for Garrett, Shakira then picked him to advance.
Taking the stage next were Team Blake's Holly Tucker and Michelle Raitzin. During the rehearsal, Holly's sweet voice was praised by mentor Sheryl Crow, but Blake doubted she could tackle a song about abuse. Meanwhile, Michelle had some pitch issues she needed to work on. When performing Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away", both showed improvements. Even so, Blake decided that Holly deserved to win.
The fourth battle saw intense competition between Team Usher's Jess Kellner and Taylor Beckham. Advised by Usher to "captivate" him when singing, the two performers gave what their coach wanted as they sang Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good". Despite compliments for both from the other judges, Usher was still not impressed with their performance. Blake took the opportunity to deceive Usher. After successfully assuring his fellow judge to choose Jess, the country crooner stole Taylor to join his team.
The Swon Brothers and Christian Porter from Team Blake were dueled next to sing their version of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". Both nailed the song as Christian was able to hit the high notes he worried he could not reach, while The Bros seemed relaxed and quite enjoyed it. Blake thought that Christian "pooped the bed," so the victory went to The Swon Bros.
The night was concluded with James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" from Team Adam's Judith Hill and Karina Iglesias. Both entertainers brought out equally powerful performances that made all judges give a standing ovation. "That was not a great battle; that was the best battle I've ever seen on this show. You guys floored me!" Adam said. He then made a hard decision to pick Judith as the winner, while Karina was saved by Shakira. "Not turning for Karina in the blind auditions has been haunting me!" Shakira admitted.
